


if you'll be my star.

by saans



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, M/M, POV Second Person, Pining, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Sibling Incest, Skeleton Puns, Stargazing, Unspoken Love, classic fontcest, this ended up being more of a sans character study...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23074657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saans/pseuds/saans
Summary: Sans and Papyrus share a moment together while stargazing.
Relationships: Papyrus/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	if you'll be my star.

**Author's Note:**

> a quick, mediocre, self indulgent thing i wanted to do for sanspapy day. (03/08)

It’s been a little over four years since the Barrier opened.

Four years since monsters went free from the Underground and four years since everyone began living happily on the Surface.

To be honest, you’re not sure if the fact has quite hit you yet.

You lived through reset after reset, never knowing when the loops would end, wondering if this would be another timeline where people you cared about died or simply _everyone_ died. Then after cycles of countless deaths, you finally, _finally_ got your happy ending where everyone remained happy and living their best life?

It almost didn’t feel real. 

Feeling the warmth of the sun on your bones for the first time didn’t feel real. Living on the Surface among humans with your friends and your brother didn’t feel real. In the back of your mind, you always expected the worst to come-- always anticipating another reset that would tear this life away from you and bring you back to stage one.

But then the first year of living on the Surface passed. Then the second, and soon the third and fourth as well. Another reset never came.

You’ve discovered that one of your favourite things to do on the Surface is stargaze. It started with Papyrus’ who had grown a fascination with stargazing. You could understand why-- the sky was one of the most beautiful things you’ve seen.

On clear nights, the two of you would lay out under the night sky, enjoying the calm atmosphere and the beauty of the stars and the moon. It reminded you of the wishing room back in Waterfall.

What started out as a hobby eventually turned into a regular thing. Every month or so, the two of you would visit the quiet and secluded Mount Ebott and simply stare out at the stars as they flickered in the sky.

Your brother drove both of you out that evening. It was a peaceful night with moderate temperature and a clear, open sky. It was somewhat of a lengthy drive with the mountain being out in the country-side, but you kept occupied, enjoying the fresh evening wind and watching the city lights disappear behind you from the side mirror.

Eventually you arrived at your destination. The two of you got out and climbed up a small hill at the base of the mountain. During the first couple of trips, Papyrus had argued that the two of you should hike to the very top of the mountain. You said that the only way you’d agree was if he _carried_ you the entire way up while you took a nap. The end result was a compromise on a smaller hill nearby that still gave you an impressive view of the sky and the surrounding landscape, but was less of an endeavor to travel up.

The two of you settled in to your usual spot at the peak of the hill, laying on your backs, facing the sky above. Papyrus loved to point out his favourite constellations (“SANS, IT’S THE BIG DIPPER!” he’d shout excitedly, every time without fail) or make up his own constellations (“SANS, DOESN’T THAT LOOK LIKE A FROGGIT?”) and you would lay beside him, ‘mhming’ and adding your own quips and comments on his observations.

But tonight went a bit differently than the usual.

“WOWIE, LOOK AT THAT STAR!” Papyrus had pointed.

Your gaze moves around the night sky, taking in the sight of all the stars shining brightly in the sky. “yep. that sure is a star, bro. a whole bunch of em,” you say, teasing.

“UGH, I MEAN _THAT_ ONE! LOOK,” he points again, this time more impatiently. You squint, trying to follow his finger. Finally you find the thing of interest.

At first glance, it looked like a star as normal as any other. Its orange glow shone vividly, more intense than any other star in the sky. But upon close inspection, you could see another star almost hiding next to it. One that was much smaller in comparison, with a dimmer, blue glow.

“huh...” you say, staring up at the dual stars. “that one’s pretty cool. nice find, bro,” you look at him, eye sockets turning up into a smile. He gives a ‘nyeh!’ under your praise.

There’s a beat of pause between the two of you. Then you speak up again-- the words are out of you before you give yourself the chance to rethink them. “y’know, it kinda reminds me of you,” you say casually.

“HUH? IT DOES?” 

“yeah bro.”

“YOU MEAN… I’M... LIKE A BURNING BALL OF GAS???” he puzzles, cocks his head in confusion.

You slip out a snort at that and turn your head back to the sky. “nah, i mean, you’re bright. like a star.”

A silence spreads between the two of you. You can sense him looking at you now, and you want to look at him back. But you don’t. You can’t possibly dare to, because if you do, you fear your expression might betray you.

You already know what you want to say next. It’s on the front of your mind, on the tip of your teeth. But you hesitate. You worry. You’ve never shied away from complimenting Papyrus before, but this sounds even too cheesy. Even coming from you.

Or maybe you’re about to overstep some sort of boundary. Where _was_ the boundary anyway? How much have you blurred the line between ‘familial, brotherly love’ to... something else? Something deeper? How long have you two skirted the line, or-- did Papyrus even _realize_ there was a line, and you were just… projecting your own feelings?

The whole reason why you’re hesitating now has _everything_ to do with those feelings. But if you’re lucky, Papyrus will be none the wiser and you hope he’ll take the compliment with great gusto and pride, as he always does.

So you decide to take the chance. You cough, clearing your metaphorical throat, then take a breath in. “because. y’know, people admire stars. people wish their hopes and dreams on them, and they’re something everyone looks up to ‘cause they’re brilliant and… uh…”

You peter off. You thought you knew what you wanted to say, but you’re quickly losing your train of thought and you don’t remember what you’ve been saying and you’re not sure if it even made sense, and boy, is it getting warm or is it just you?

“just… y’know, stars. they’re bright, and stunning. and uh. beautiful,” you finish lamely.

You lay there with your gaze still fixed at the sky and Papyrus’ gaze isn’t on the sky at all, instead it’s fixed on _you_ , and you know because you can see it in your peripherals, _feel_ it boring into your skull. You kind of wish he would stop staring at you so intently. At least then, you wouldn’t feel as sweaty. 

Then the silence is broken. “... BEAUTIFUL?” he says at last.

Oh. You said that, didn’t you.

“uh,” you blurt. You try to keep a neutral expression, but sweat is trickling down your forehead and you think you can feel blush rising up to your cheekbones. You wonder if you should shrug off the question or dodge it with a joke. To throw your brother off course with a pun and enjoy how easily riled he would get. It would’ve been easy. Familiar. A classic Sans maneuver.

During resets, you were filled with apathy. Your actions held no weight and anything you did would’ve been reset anyway. It entirely stopped you from putting in effort towards things you cared about, and it was so easy to just shrug off any sort of responsibility. Because what did it matter? Why even try?

It wasn’t until the fourth year of being on the Surface and reset-free was when you finally started to let your walls down.

You’ve allowed yourself to laugh more, to be with your friends more, to lower your inhibitions, to take opportunities, to feel enjoyment and… _happiness_ without the fear of everything disappearing hold you back. To _live_.

It was a struggle to try and tear down years-- hell _decades_ \-- of masks, bad habits, and practiced, refined bullshittery. Even with your friends’ support, it’s still a work in progress. However it hasn’t been without its rewards.

Recently, Papyrus had praised you for how much happier you looked, and that he was proud of you for making such an effort.

And you think you are happier. You genuinely are. Hearing the pride in your brother’s voice over your improvement warmed you down to your very SOUL.

Thus, hiding your feelings behind a facade _now_ , of all times, would feel like taking two steps backwards. Like taking Papyrus’ words and shoving them back in his face. Even if you were nervous about your true feelings accidentally letting slip, or even if you were worried about what he might do if he _knew_. It would be better than lying directly to his face.

So you take the chance.

“yeah,” you struggle, feeling like you’ve just choked on the word rather than having spoken it. Cool sweat runs down to your jawline. “you are. beautiful,” you manage to force out, and then you chance a look back at Papyrus.

He’s no longer laying down, instead he’s sat up, his attention turned entirely towards you. You soak in his features. His stunned expression complete with widened eye-sockets would’ve been the thing to surprise you, if it weren’t for the faint orange blush dusting his cheek bones.

Your gazes meet and your SOUL feels like it’s going to burst out of your rib cage. Suddenly nothing else in the world matters.

But as soon as the moment arrived, it vanished, and the moment is effectively buried by Papyrus’ loud boasts.

“W-WELL, I CAN HARDLY BLAME YOU! NO ONE CAN RESIST THE POPULAR AND PRESTIGIOUS PAPYRUS!” he’s back to normal now, his stunned expression gone and replaced with his wide, signature grin. He exaggerates an outstretched hand and places it on his chest, proudly boasting.

You let out a quiet, inward sigh of relief. Maybe he didn’t think much of it after all. Maybe you were just imagining the blush on his face. Maybe you were just projecting again.

You allow yourself to relax yourself again, letting the anxiety and tension dissipate from your shoulders. There’s silence between the two of you once more as you lay face up staring towards the star filled sky, with your brother sitting next to you with his knees drawn up to his chest.

“SO… WHAT DID YOU WISH FOR?” Papyrus asks some time later, breaking the silence.

“huh?”

“YOU KNOW, ON YOUR STAR. DID YOU MAKE A WISH?”

You blink. It takes you a moment to realize what he meant and to remember what you said.

( _people wish their hopes and dreams on stars_.)

You can feel the blush rising back to your face once again. You think that maybe you should think the things you say through more.

When you arrived on the Surface, it felt unbelievable. Like a dream that was too good to be true, that you might wake up from at any moment. Of course every monster had wishes and hopes of things they’d do once they got to the Surface. But in your case, that didn’t come without fears either.

You feared that Papyrus would leave you. You barely remember a day in your life where he _wasn’t_ with you in some capacity, and thinking of him being _gone_... scared you. It was selfish thinking, you knew of course, but… someone like Papyrus was too good to stay in one place. You thought for sure that he would want to explore the world and meet new people and be remarkable somewhere else.

Somewhere without you. Because who would want to stay with a person like _you_.

“i wish…” you say, closing your eye sockets, “that we’ll always have each other. even if you decide to move out and leave,” you murmur, quietly, in hopes that he won’t catch what you said.

“OF _COURSE_ WE’LL HAVE EACH OTHER!” Papyrus’ sudden outburst causes you to snap your sockets open, startling you. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘MOVE OUT'? WHO WOULD PICK UP YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY THEN?”

“well--” you try to interject.

“OR MAKE YOU MEALS??? WE’RE BROTHERS! YOU DON’T JUST SEPARATE TWO THINGS THAT GO TOGETHER,” he exclaims with his hands on his hips, looking incredulous. “LIKE PUZZLES AND JAPES! OR UNDYNE AND VIOLENCE.”

“or... pasta and burning?” you can’t help but to add in cheekily.

Your brother shoots you a glare, meant to look exasperated, but you can tell there’s a hint of amusement behind his expression. “OR YOUR PAIRS OF SOCKS,” he says, making a gibe at you.

You just shake your head and chuckle. “they just get up and walk off on their own, i swear.”

“THEY DO NOT! YOU ALWAYS LOSE THEM IN THE MOST OBSCURE PLACES!” Papyrus yells, throwing his arms up in exasperation. Any worry or fear you had began to melt away. If anything could make you feel better, it would be riling up your brother with some bad jokes.

“hey, no need to _rib_ me, bro,” you say with a classic wink and shrug, earning you an agitated shout of your name. You can’t help but to keep the punches rolling. “what’s the matter, not _humerus_ enough for ya pap--”

Suddenly the view of the sky is torn away and you give a startled yelp as a body comes barreling into you. The two of you roll a little ways down the hill before finally coming to a stop, and the only thing you’re able to see is the mischievous face of your brother looming over you.

“THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR SUCH TERRIBLE PUNS!” he says, looking triumphant.

“heh... i guess you got me, bro,” you concede. Your eyelids flutter closed, making the world disappear behind them, and you slacken under his grip-- defeated and entirely at his mercy. 

The weight on top of you disappears. But then it shifts, moving to press against you until there’s warmth enveloping nearly your entire body.

Curious, you open your sockets to find Papyrus spooning your side, an arm slung over your mid section.

It’s been a long time since the two of you have embraced like this. He used to hold you like this on some of your particularly bad days. Or when you woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, dreaming about resets and death and a man who spoke in hands. But it’s been years since you’ve hit that sort of low point.

Then you realize: he’s trying to comfort you.

“I’m not going to leave, Sans,” his voice drops into a lower octave. And _fuck_ is the only coherent thought you conjure as your mind fizzles out. You swear you can feel Papyrus’ SOUL thrumming through his chest, against your back, and your own SOUL wants to burst through and connect with his. To merge. To melt together. To bond.

And those thoughts _definitely_ aren’t thoughts you’re supposed to have about your _brother_ , of all people, but you don’t think you care. All of your senses are screaming _Papyrus_ and you’ve never been more aware of every inch of yourself currently being touched by him in your entire life

“i just...” you start, making a concentrated effort to keep your voice level and to _stay calm_. Papyrus didn’t need to see how flustered you were growing over something as simple as his physical contact. “i don’t want you to feel like you _have_ to stay. i want you to be happy doing what you want,” you say.

“SANS, YOU REALLY THINK I COULD BE UNHAPPY LIVING WITH YOU?” he asks. He tuts as he shushes you with a finger to your mouth before you can make a retort.

“I _WANT_ TO BE HERE. WITH YOU,” Papyrus reassures you, speaking with such genuineness. This time you can’t help the shiver that runs through you as his voice drops again. “There’s nowhere else I could think of being.”

A hand snakes down to find your own and intertwines your fingers together. You stiffen at the contact, and despite your thoughts beginning to malfunction again, spectacularly, you manage a slow nod.

You’re not sure what you were expecting Papyrus’ reaction to be, but you’re glad it wasn’t something like rejection. You focus so much on your own love towards Papyrus, that sometimes you forget how much he cares about _you_ in return. The unexpected sincerity in his voice added to the fact.

Maybe you just needed a reminder, you think.

Nothing more is said between the two of you for a while. You opt to focus on the rise and fall of Papyrus’ chest in an effort to focus on anything other than how his phalanges feel against yours. Or the gentle weight of his chin resting on your skull. Or the way his body presses up along your backside. Anything at all.

But the gentle weight and soothing warmth from Papyrus reminds you of the times the two of you slept together, falling asleep to the comfort of one another. It’s enough to get you to relax once again. Drowsiness creeps along your subconsciousness and your eyelids begin to droop 

Before you allow yourself to get _too_ dozy, there’s one thing you should say while it’s still relevant. Otherwise, you don’t think you’ll ever find the _guts_ to say it again.

“i’m... not gonna leave you either,” you mumble ever so quietly. You’re not sure if Papyrus heard you or not, until he tightens his hold on you moments later.

You originally thought Papyrus to be like a comet. Something astounding and stunning in the moment. Something that left you captivated by the sight, until it disappeared as quickly as it arrived. And if you shut your eyelids, you would be left with the after-image quickly fading from your sight.

But as you look up towards the orange dual star once more, you realize how alike to a star he really is. He’s bright, beautiful, and something you could look up to for comfort. He’s a constant shining beacon, lighting up the darkness around you.

You curl deeper into Papyrus, relaxed by the contact, drawn in by the distant thrum of his SOUL. This is where you should be. This is where both of you should be. A pair. A package deal. Together. Inseparable.

You squeeze your hands together and you both lay in comfortable silence, enjoying the company of one another and the twinkling stars in the night sky.

**Author's Note:**

> the star they look at is an actual double star named Almach, with two visible suns-- one large golden one and one smaller blue one. ;)
> 
> i mainly write pokemon leon/hop content, but occasionally i post fontcest on my twitter @brewshipping.
> 
> thank you for reading.


End file.
